Intel wants to play doctor with you, launches Health Guide

Intel is entering the health IT field with Health Guide, a platform that …

It's no understatement to say that healthcare is pretty big business in the US. The nation spends 15 percent of GDP on healthcare each year, but sadly all that cash isn't necessarily making the country healthier—most other developed nations spend much less but perform better by most metrics. Technology companies, having worked their productivity magic in business, are now turning their attention to the healthcare field, and today Intel has launched Health Guide, its platform for remote patient care.

Part of the platform is the Health Guide PHS6000, a telemedicine unit that patients will use at home in conjunction with approved peripherals to measure blood pressure, blood glucose, lung function, and so on. The device will then store the data and also transmit it to care providers, sparing patients the need to visit outpatient clinics.

Looking like the bastard child of an iMac and an intensive care unit, the friendly-looking unit includes a touch screen (helpful for those older patients who might not enjoy using a keyboard) and a webcam, allowing patients to take advantage of telemedicine consults. Recent studies have shown that, especially for rural or remote areas, having a video component to remote consults results in significantly better care.

The PHS6000 also allows users to access healthcare information, populated with licensed content from the Mayo Clinic, with plans for other groups, such as the American Heart Association, to contribute in the future.

As with Microsoft's HealthVault, which we covered recently, The Health Guide will begin trials with healthcare providers such as Aetna and others. However, don't expect the Health Guide and HealthVault to talk to each other; they seem to be distinct, closed platforms with no mention of interoperability.

Given the high rate of healthcare spending in the US and the comparatively poor performance, devices such as this one that promise to boost efficiency and assist in better preventative care have to be a good thing. Intel and its rivals obviously think so, and the healthcare IT space is starting to become more crowded as traditional business IT players look for new revenue streams.

Will these devices and platforms provide a silver bullet to slash healthcare costs while making everyone healthier? That's probably unlikely, but even if their introduction and adoption results in a small decrease in healthcare spending, that has to be seen as a win.